WITHAM TOWN 4 LEWES 2

FA Cup second qualifying round

Witham Town equalled their club's best-ever run in the FA Cup by booking their place in the third qualifying round draw of this season’s competition.

The hosts had made it into the third qualifying round in the 1998/99 season and they made sure they could look at Monday's draw with interest with a 4-2 win against Lewes

The two sides had drawn 1-1 on the opening day of the Ryman League premier division season but Witham proved too much for the south coast side this time, despite playing the last 30 minutes with only ten men.

Witham made three changes from the side that beat East Thurrock 2-0 in the league on Tuesday with James Stevens, Danny Emmanuel and Kurt Smith coming into the starting line-up.

And it was those two of those additions who combined to good effect for the game’s opening goal.

Having weathered some early pressure from Lewes, Witham settled and broke the deadlock in the 29th minute when Smith crossed low for Emmanuel, who glanced the ball past the dive of visiting keeper Ricky Banks.

It put Witham in a more confident frame of mind and they suddenly looked far more threatening.

That was rewarded in the 39th minute when Smith was bundled over in the box by Lewes right-back Steve Brinkhurst and Stevens stepped up to fire the resulting penalty straight down the middle and into the back of the net.

Witham looked in control at that point, but they were set back just before half-time when referee Nolan Wilde pointed to the spot for the second time in the opening 45 minutes.

This time it was at the other end of the pitch after Lewis Godbold was adjudged to have tripped Ollie Rowe and it was Jack Dixon’s turn to fire home to leave the tie delicately poised at 2-1 at the break.

However, just as they needed a good opening to the second half to back up their goal, the visitors gifted a third to Witham.

A terrible mix-up at the back saw Brinkhurst's back pass to keeper Ricky Banks go astray and Tom Wraight just had to walk the ball in to re-establish a two-goal lead with seven minutes of the second half gone.

Lewes were handed what looked like a lifeline in the 61st minute when Ryan Blackman was sent off for receiving a second caution.

But no sooner had he left the pitch than Witham went 4-1 up when Wraight scored his third goal in the last two games with a lovely strike that curled past Banks and into the net.

Witham’s three-goal lead was maintained in stunning style by Martyn Guest in the 70th minute when he somehow scooped a thunderbolt shot by Luke Blewden from off the line as Lewes desperately looked for a way back in.

They did get a goal in the 90th minuite when substitute Blewden tapped in but it was only a consolation as Witham eased through into the third qualifying round.